Your Business Information System - Complete and Secure#

An information system (IS) is the full combination of software, hardware, data, people, procedures, and networks that enables the company to utilize information resources. Information can be input, processed, output, and stored using these six important components. Each of these IS components has its strengths and weaknesses, security needs, as well as unique features and applications.

Computer Software#

Applications, operating systems, and various command utilities make up the software component of the IS. Perhaps the most challenging IS component to safeguard is software. Most information attacks are based on the exploitation of faults in software programming. Examples of these flaws are holes, bugs, vulnerabilities, or other basic faults in software.

Software products are frequently developed under project management limitations, which include time, money, and people. Information security becomes an issue after the project finishes. As a result, the software has become an ideal target for malicious or inadvertent attacks.

Computer Hardware#

Hardware is the physical technology that forms the basis of software, stores, and transfers data, and provides interfaces for entering and removing data from a system. The majority of information systems are constructed on hardware platforms that, if unlimited access to the hardware is permitted, cannot ensure any level of information security.

Databases#

Information or data can exist in three states:

Data at rest refers to data that is stored on a physical or logical medium but is not being accessed. Files on file servers, records in databases, papers on flash drives, and hard disks are all examples.

Data in transit refers to any data that travels through a network.

Data in use It is on a PC, workstation, server, mainframe, or other devices that are actively in use. Clearing memory of sensitive data is a good security practice; otherwise, another application may unintentionally or subversively access that same storage space and retrieve that data.

Unfortunately, many system development projects do not fully utilize the database management system’s security features, and the database is sometimes deployed in less secure ways than traditional file systems.

Human Resources#

People have always been a risk to information security, despite being neglected in computer security discussions. In a company’s information security program, people might be the weakest link. The universal character of human error can be exploited via social engineering. It can be used to influence people’s behavior to gain access to system information.

Procedures#

Procedures are another usually disregarded aspect of an IS. Procedures are detailed written instructions for completing a task. When an unauthorized user obtains an organization’s methods, the integrity of the data is jeopardized. Most companies offer procedures to their legitimate employees so that they can access the information system, but many of them fail to provide adequate training on how to secure the processes.

As crucial as physically securing the information system is educating staff about security protocols. After all, procedures are data in and of themselves. As a result, procedural knowledge, like other vital information, should only be shared with those in the organization who need to know.

Networks#

The networking component of IS is responsible for most of the demand for better computer and information security. When information systems are linked together to establish local area networks (LANs), and these LANs are linked to larger networks like the Internet, new security challenges emerge quickly.

Physical technology that supports network services is becoming increasingly affordable for businesses of all sizes. Traditional physical security methods, such as locks and keys, are still useful for restricting access to and interaction with the hardware components of an information system; but, when computer systems are networked, this technique is no longer sufficient.

Solutions#

  • To achieve an effective information system solution, we should balance the security level and access while protecting against dangers.

  • Network security measures, as well as the establishment of warning and intrusion systems, are critical.

  • People will continue to be the weakest link unless policy, education, training, awareness, and technology are appropriately implemented to prevent them from harming or losing information mistakenly or intentionally.

  • Data is frequently an organization’s most important asset, yet it is frequently the subject of malicious assaults. A computer system’s data must be protected as it is stored, processed, and transmitted. When done correctly, this should increase the data and application’s security.

  • Hardware as a physical asset and its protection from harm or theft are the focus of physical security techniques. Traditional physical security solutions, such as locks and keys, restrict access to and interaction with an information system’s hardware components. Securing the physical environment where computers are placed, as well as the computers themselves, is crucial in the event of a physical security breach that results in data loss.

  • Information security should be adopted in the software development project as a core component from the start.

See also

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